20 May Essential Home Improvement Projects for Before Seniors Move In
A majority of people would prefer to live in a same home for entirety of their lives. For seniors, this might be a little tricky because most home designs are not ergonomic enough to suit their needs. Because of this, it may be necessary to make some renovations to senior homes before they move in. These renovations include:
1.Widening the doors
Many seniors will get to a point of needing wheel chairs or walkers as their age advances. It is necessary to prepare their homes with wider doorways so that they have easy access to every part of the house from the comfort of their moving aids.
2.Installing grab bars
Grab bars are essential to minimizing the chances of falling accidents in the high risk areas of the house, such as next to the bathtub, shower, close to the sink and in the toilet area. Apart from mitigating the risk of falling, grab bars also make seniors feel more confident when accessing these areas.
3.Building a ramp
With mobility being a big issue among many seniors, navigating stairways, be it inside the house or out on the doorway, might be very difficult. It may be necessary to build a ramp on short stairways (such as the one leading to the front door), so that ascending or descending is easier, including when using a wheelchair.
For longer stairways, such as in a multi-storied homes, elevators might be necessary to ease access to the upper floors. However, this is a very expensive renovation and though also expensive, stair lifts should be considered as a second option.
4.Installing an additional ground floor bathroom
Instead of agonizing seniors with the task of using lifts, elevators or even stairways every time they need a bathroom, why not include an additional bathroom on the ground floor. This would be extremely convenient and should be located close to the living space for fast and easy access.
5.Home automation/monitoring systems
These systems are not necessarily meant to ease mobility around the home, but they play a crucial role in ensuring that the elderly remain safe, even when they are home alone. Apart from home security and fire alarm systems, innovative technologies such as health monitoring and fall monitoring systems give you the opportunity to keep track of the happenings in the house from a remote location and can possibly alert nearby caregivers and loved ones.